Chapter 36
Glade was going to live.
That had been all that mattered ten minutes ago, but now the other problems were crashing in. The hour Ace had given us was almost up.
Zed was AWOL in the bond. Not that I fucking blamed him, but we had to drop the truck. Not because Ace was on our tail, but because Kyan had just robbed a pharmacy. He was good, leaving the only one who’d seen him unconscious, so there’d be a delay before the police got there, but we didn’t have forever.
“I’ll get us a car. You get us a destination,” I said as I pulled into a grimy parking lot behind a seedy strip mall with the scent of old cigarettes heavy in the air. Kyan had already used his RF detector to make sure there were no tracking devices we didn’t know about.
It would have to do.
We’d found them, but I was still shaking from the sight of it. Zed had been holding her, fingerprints of blood covering his face, staining his white hair. Glade lay limp in his arms, her dress as red as the blood that covered them.
I was on the verge of breaking, and Kyan was, too, but one look at them and we’d both known. Not now.
They needed us.
It was night, which helped, and we’d reached them before someone had noticed them.
Kyan hauled the black bag from the truck. He had shoved everything we needed into it since we’d have to ditch it.
I opened the door to the back seat, helping Zed carry her out without hurting her.
Zed clutched her to his chest, clearly trying to focus. “If the warehouse is compromised, we don’t know what else he’s got on us.”
“I know.”
Kyan appeared at our side, bag slung over his back as he nodded in the direction of the street. Beyond was a park. We could wait there safely for a while. Our phones were switched off, but he was already activating a burner and tossing it to me before getting another for himself.
I shot a text off instantly, knowing the numbers I needed from memory. I had a friend who could get us a clean ride and deal with the truck without too much trouble. We weren’t short on contacts with skills for shit like this.
“I have an idea,” Kyan was saying. “The place she was working at—the High Roller—I did a check on the staff. She wasn’t the only Omega on the run.”
“What does that?—?”
“Just—” He waved a hand. “—give me a moment.” He stared at the burner phone, eyes darting back and forth as he tried to pull up a memory. Then he was dialling a number and lifting it to his ear as we walked.
There was a long moment in which Zed and I watched him. He muttered a curse, and I heard the faint tone that meant the call hadn’t gone through.
“She’s ditched it…”
“What?”
“Glade’s not the only one who ran into trouble recently.”
He was already pulling up his browser and doing a search. “I’m pretty sure one of the Alphas she took off with wouldn’t risk dropping all his phones. Too much business on the line…” He dialled another number, and this time, I heard it ring.
“Forbes?” Kyan asked. I did a double take at the name. Forbes was a well known mob family.
“Who is this?” A voice asked as Kyan put it on speaker.
“Is Annika with you?”
There was a long silence, but he didn’t hang up.
“Tell her I’m with Glade,” Kyan added. There was pause, and then a softer voice on the line.
“Who is this?”
“Is this Annika?” Kyan asked.
There was another pause. “How did you find me?”
“I’m uh…” I saw his eyes drift to her, then dart away. I felt a freefall in the bond, a moment of complete and utter collapse. Instead, I focused on the faded patches of paint across the asphalt, taking in a deep breath.
He swallowed, glancing at me for a moment as I cupped his neck. His eyes met mine, and I felt him steady. “I’m Glade’s mate. She’s in trouble. We need a bit of help.”
“Her… mate?” She asked, something suspicious in her voice. “What kind of trouble?”
“The kind that needs a safe house off the radar of… everyone. Mafia, Brotherhood. We can’t be found.”
“Hold on.”
There was another silence, and we heard pieces of a discussion.
“...Safe house…?” That was the first voice. “...Get my father involved, he can get off our asses about not going to him before…”
Finally, Annika was back on the line. “I’ll send you an address. Give me a few minutes. Can I text this number?”
“Yes.”
“Glade, is she alright?”
“She will be.”
“If you need anything else, let me know.”
“Thanks.”
“Why her?” I asked, as he hung up, and we stopped at a bench. I think it was best to keep him talking. Talking and doing things.
Zed didn’t take the bench, choosing the grass instead, settling with her still cradled in his arms.
I took a steadying breath.
I had to hold on. For all of them, just like Kyan was fighting to do.
“Another on-the-run Omega—ex-Cavanaugh I’m pretty sure?” Kyan rooted around in the bag before producing a knife, rag and a jacket. “But the guys she just took off with are well connected. If she’s anything like our mafia princess, they’ll be eating out of her palm.”
“How many in-hiding Omegas does the High Roller have?” I asked, as Kyan cut the rag into strips. It was easier to keep talking as I stared at the blood glistening along her skin.
He narrowed his eyes, counting silently on his finger before giving up and shrugging. “The manager really knows how to advertise.”
I snorted, though the sound was devoid of real humour.
Kyan knelt beside Zed and began to wrap Glade’s hands. We’d need to treat the wounds, but stopping the bleeding for now would have to do.
Glade’s bare feet brushed stems of grass. In the dark night, her crimson dress was like something from a fairytale. Both she and Zed looked haunted. There was dried blood on his face and hair, prints where her hands had cupped his cheeks.
I gritted my teeth, clinging to my shock. It was the only thing keeping my horror at bay. Each line I’d heard through my comms, each taunt from Ace. It had been a blow to my foundation, threatening full collapse.
We were wrong about everything…
And we weren’t out of the woods yet.
“Is… there a plan?” Zed asked, as Kyan draped the jacket over her, and I wondered if he’d processed any of the conversation before now. “Or are we spending the night here?”
I dragged my gaze to him, clearing my throat.
I checked my phone again and wasn’t surprised to see a reply.
“Jesse’ll deal with the truck—owes me a favour. Dropping us off a ride, too. If Kyan gets an address, we won’t be here long.”